At least 31 killed, 40 wounded in ISIS attack in Tikrit, Iraq – police & medics

At least 31 people were killed and 40 wounded in overnight attacks carried out by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in the city of Tikrit, central Iraq, Reuters reported, citing Iraqi security sources and medics.

The attackers were wearing police uniforms and used a police vehicle to enter the city, Police Colonel Khalid Mahmoud told Reuters, adding that there were around 10 militants, including two suicide bombers.

At least 31 bodies were brought in, among them 14 police officers, a doctor at the city's main hospital, Nawfal Mustafa, said.

READ MORE: ISIS destroys 7th-century church, historical mosque in Iraq’s Tikrit

Tikrit was captured by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants in June 2014. In September 2015, IS blew up the Green Church, one of the oldest Christian churches in the Middle East, as well as Al Arbain, a shrine and historical mosque, which were both located in the city center.

In 2015 the Iraqi Army retook Tirkit, but the jihadist fighters have continued to carry out attacks in the city and its outskirts. In March of this year, dozens of people were killed in suicide bomb blasts that went off at a wedding party in a village near the city.